Jonathan Edwards by Jonathan Edwards

Author:Jonathan Edwards [Gura, Philip F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781598532852
Publisher: Library of America

SERMONS

Justification by Faith Alone

ROMANS IV. 5.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his Faith is counted for Righteousness.

THE following Things may be noted in this Verse; 1. That Justification respects a Man as ungodly: This is evident by those Words—that justifieth the Ungodly. Which Words can’t imply less than that God in the Act of Justification, has no Regard to any Thing in the Person justified, as Godliness, or any Goodness in him; but that nextly, or immediately before this Act, God beholds him only as an ungodly or wicked Creature; so that Godliness in the Person to be justified is not so antecedent to his Justification as to be the Ground of it. When it is said that God justifies the Ungodly, ’tis as absurd to suppose that our Godliness, taken as some Goodness in us, is the Ground of our Justification, as when it is said that Christ gave Sight to the Blind, to suppose that Sight was Prior to, and the Ground of that Act of Mercy in Christ, or as if it should be said that such an One by his Bounty has made a poor Man rich, to suppose that it was the Wealth of this poor Man that was the Ground of this Bounty towards him, and was the Price by which it was procured.

2. It appears that by him that worketh not in this Verse, is not meant only one that don’t conform to the ceremonial Law, because he that worketh not, and the Ungodly are evidently synonimous Expressions, or what signify the same; it appears by the Manner of their Connection; if it ben’t so, to what Purpose is the latter Expression the Ungodly brought in? The Context gives no other Occasion for it, but only to shew that the Grace of the Gospel appears in that God in Justification has no Regard to any Godliness of ours: The foregoing Verse is, Now to him that worketh is the Reward not reckon’d of Grace, but of Debt: In that Verse ’tis evident, that Gospel Grace consists in the Rewards being given without Works; & in this Verse which nextly follows it & in Sense is connected with it, ’tis evident that Gospel Grace consists in a Man’s being justified that is ungodly; by which it is most plain that by him that worketh not, and him that is ungodly, are meant the same Thing; and that therefore not only Works of the ceremonial Law are excluded in this Business of Justification, but Works of Morality and Godliness.

3. ’Tis evident in the Words, that by that Faith that is here spoken of, by which we are justified, is not meant the same Thing as a Course of Obedience, or Righteousness, by the Expression, by which this Faith is here denoted, viz believing on him that justifies the Ungodly—They that oppose the Solifidians, as they call them, do greatly insist on it, that we should take the

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